A two-day gardening workshop in Lautoka, Fiji, has shown participants the techniques for starting and improving home gardens.

Participants from communities in Nadi and Lautoka attended the workshop, which was a collaboration between the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the National Food and Nutrition Centre (NFNC).

The participants were also shown Fiji’s non-communicable disease (NCD) statistics, highlighting the importance of planting their own food and also the need to eat organic fruits and vegetables.

Across the South Pacific, people are dying from NCDs at an alarming rate—it has been called a pandemic—and it is hoped the program will help reduce the number of NCD deaths and also improve the health and lifestyle of the participants.

Krishna Kumar, an advisory counsellor in Tunalia, Nadi, said, “Sixty per cent of my community members buy from the market. After this training I will go back and teach them the techniques and benefits of home gardening, which also saves money, and that organic is the way to go.

“This training is like the oasis in the desert: an oasis gives water, this training gives food during the dry season.”

The workshop was part of the Fiji Pro Resilience Project (Vakarau Wai), which is funded by the European Union. The project targets 25 communities in Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and Tavua.

ADRA Fiji has partnered with several development agencies, government ministries and departments, educational and research institutions and donors to provide development programs for communities throughout the country.

The agency has developed excellent relationships with both international and local non-government organizations and community-based organizations in Fiji, as well as fostering partnerships with other organizations to support its objectives.